V7Goose

Lots of folks here do and like it - I'm sure they will chime in. But not me. Personally, I refuse to put anything in my tires but air. Goose

UNFRIGGINBELIEVABLE! I wouldn't dream of paying a price like that for a GOOD tire, and I wouldn't put a rear Brickstone on my bike at ANY price! The purchase price alone for that tire was $100 more than it should have been, even if you WANTED it. So sorry to hear of what they did to you. Hope they at least offered Vaseline and a kiss after. Goose

I am very sorry to hear of your problem - it certainly does not sound like them - I wonder if something has suddenly changed with the company? I have never had an order take more than three days to show up in Texas. My last order with them was at the end of June, and they delivered super quick, just like always. And all reports of their email responses in the past have been vary favorable. I even inquired once about a tire that was out of stock, and their response was immediate and very polite. I may have to be cautious of them for a while to see if there is a new trend happening that doesn't look good. Thanks for letting us know. Goose

Yup, getting an old tire that has been sitting in stock somewhere is definitely a risk, no matter where you buy them. Only way I know how to avoid that is try to only order tires from a place that sells a lot of 'em. If you have any doubts, tell the place in writing that you will only accept a tire less than X years old (I'd suggest two years) and that you expect them to cover return shipping if they send you anything older. And make sure you check the date code as soon as you get them. I have never gotten anything over 8 months old from SWMotoTires, but the only sizes I have ordered from them have been for the RSV. Got two Venom rear tires in the garage right now that came from them - both were born on the 15th week of 2008 (about 3 months old). Goose

By law, any tire sold as a second in the United States must be marked as "BLEM" stamped into the sidewall. These tires are absolutely and totally safe - the only possible issue is a blemish. Often this is the case where a white wall tire has a little of the underlying white showing through the black top layer where it should not. The point is, a BLEM is nothing more than a cosmetic imperfection. The federal government is VERY strict on tire safety standards. As much as I HATE the friggin government sticking its nose into everything where it shouldn't be, this one is a good thing. You can be absolutely assured that IF you do chose to by a BLEM tire, it will be completely safe. Now that I have said all of that, I will assure you that you will NEVER buy a BLEM from an on-line dealer without knowing it up front. Selling one without disclosing it is also illegal, as far as I know. Frankly, that dealer has shown you that they are extremely dishonest. I would NEVER go into their place of business again. Goose

Lots of folks here seem to like the Morgan Carb Tune. I am partial to mechanical vacuum gauges myself. You can buy the gauges or mercury sticks from JC Whitney. Goose

Here is a link to my full detailed article in the tech library that should answer all your questions: http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=19119 Goose

I wouldn't expect the fan to be on unless you left it idling for at least three or four minutes. But if it really was that hot (approximately 230 degrees), I would not be surprised to have the fan still triggered on after sitting for only 10 minutes - there is an awful lot of heat to dissipate from all that metal and water. Knowing for sure what is going on in a case like this is why I always install full gauges! Even in the hottest weather and relatively slow speeds, the RSV will easily maintain water temp at 220 or below (normal running is right at 212 on both of mine). Fan kicks on around 230, if I remember right, and I have NEVER seen mine go over 240, even when idling for an hour+ in traffic jam at 112 degrees. When the fan kicks in, the temp drops FAST. Goose

The laws are different in every state, and I have NO idea how you easterners generally handle these things. But... In my experience, you usually turn to your own insurance when the other guy does not completely cover the damages. Your own insurance is 100% responsible up to the limits (both dollars and terms) of your personal policy. They are the ones who will go after the other guy and his insurance to make them pay everything they should. Good luck. Goose

I have seen this bolt mentioned before. It is true that there is a copper washer on it for some reason - typically that is for an oil seal - but that bolt hole on my 05 is a blind hole! When I had the cover off to seal a slight oil leak I even put a straw up to the hole to blow in it and proved there is no opening. Come to think of it, however, I did not closely examine the cover to see if there was some access hole for the oil in there. Has anyone actually drained oil from this bolt? Sounds like maybe Squeeze has, since he knows the volume. I do know that no oil came out of any hole when I removed the bolts, but it sure dumped all over my garage floor when I pulled the cover loose! Goose

Just an FYI - the Rotella oils were reformulated last year. MANY bikes have been using the old Rotella oils with great results for years, and back when I was active on Shell's forums I saw numerous statements from them that they had no friction modifiers or other additives that would in any way interfere with our wet clutches. However, they could not meet the JASO-MA oil standard for motorcycle use (primarily a wet clutch friction standard) due to a slightly high ash content. JASO-MA requires max 1.2, and old Rotella dino had 1.4. Well, the new reformulated Rotella 15W-40 dino and 5W-40 syn oils DO meet JASO-MA standards now. They are not currently "certified" with JASO, so they are not labeled that way, but I have seen a letter from Shell posted on the GWRRA site. I recently found another copy of it and more discussion on Shell's Rotella forums: http://www.shellusserver.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=3861&page=2#Post3861 Since our bike calls for "API service SE, SF, SG type or higher," and Rotella is SM AND meets the JASO-MA standards, it seems to me this is a GREAT oil for us. Yes, there is a little note in the Caution about wet clutches in the oil change section of the owner's manual that says not to use oil of a higher quality than specified (really not sure here how you could find something of higher quality than "SG type or higher"), but since that caution is specifically about wet clutch slippage, and Rotella now meets JASO-MA, it certainly does not seem to apply. Anyway, that is my choice of oil now that my stock of old Mobil 1 red-top is about gone. Just thought I share the info. Goose

Don't know what dealer you are using, but getting warranty work done has never been a problem for me at Yamaha Suzuki of Texas in Hurst. Even had them replace the lower left cowling when it cracked. I just rode the bike in and had them take a close look so they could see it had never been hit by anything, and they ordered it on the spot for me. I suspect it makes a huge difference on how assertive the shop is in telling Yamaha what the problem is. Goose

Methinks you got a typo there buddy - you can't set the cruise on an RSV at 97 MPH. Or even 87. In your dreams, maybe? Goose

Just make sure you have enough other lights on your bike. Frankly, a red light will be brightest behind a red lens (because a red lens passes all red light and blocks other colors). You may see your fancy spinning pattern better under a clear lens, but it won't be any brighter. I rode behind someone on a day ride up at Kitchener who had a very DANGEROUS bike in the day time. He had clear lens and a red bulb in it. You could see a slight red glow from his tail light, and if you were focusing on it, you could see when his brake light came on, but it was so dim in the day that it NEVER caught my eye, and if you did not actually see it change from tail to brake, there was no way you would ever know his brake light was on when you did look at it! The only thing that was bright enough to make me notice he hit his brakes was a small LED about 2" long on the top of his license plate. He also had the Yamaha trunk wing with LEDs, but frankly, those don't light up all that much in the bright sun either. I was going to tell him about it after the ride, but he disappeared when we got back on Wednesday, and I didn't know who it was. He was riding a Midnight RSV, so if you are reading this and it sounds like it might be you, PLEASE go check out your bike from the rear in bright sun. If you don't want to put a decent tail light bulb behind that white lens, you BADLY need another auxiliary brake light! Goose

Personally, I believe that tire wear is more related to how fast your speed changes (either up or down) which puts stress on the rubber trying to hold firm to the road surface. For example, coasting to a stop will be much easier on a tire than using either the brakes or engine to slow down. Using the front brake exclusively (not recommended) and never down shifting will greatly extend the life of the rear tire. Unfortunately, even if you were to try that, you still have the wear from acceleration. Once again, the faster your speed changes, the more stress you put on the rear tire trying to push the bike forward without losing it's grip. And if it does slip a little, that REALLY speeds up the wear! So the bottom line here is that good clutch technique, with gentle acceleration and easy stopping, coupled with very steady throttle (not rolling it off and on, even slightly) will greatly extend rear tire life. Some folks always seem to be slightly speeding up and slowing down by not being real steady on the throttle - this is true in both cages and bikes, and every change in tire speed against the road will cause some additional wear. Weight on the bike should actually make a tire last longer. If you go to Continental's web site and research tire longevity, you will see that they state that riding two-up or loaded tends to make a tire last longer because the weight reduces the ability of the tire to slip on the road surface even slightly under acceleration, deceleration and cornering. It is truly hard to rely on someone else's tire life to predict your own. It helps when there are a lot of reports from different riders that begin to show a typical life, but there will always be some that make them last longer or shorter. That is why I always state what MY own personal experience has been with this particular bike and tire combination. My tire life may be more or less than yours, but if I regularly get 14,000 out of an Avon and only 10,000 out of a Pirelli and 8,000 out of a Brickstone, you should see a similar pattern - not the miles, just that a Pirelli will probably not last as long for you as an Avon would on the same bike that I ride. And as someone else already noted above, all of the things that affect how fast a tire wears also affects gas mileage the same way! Goose

I do not know what you mean by "it cranked," but the symptoms you describe a classic fuel starvation. In fact, you described it so perfectly that I will go out on a limb and say it is not possible that your problem is anything else! Cranking to me is simply turning the engine over with the starter, but you seem to be using it in place of "starting." In any event, this is fairly easy to diagnose with the right information. Seafoam has nothing to do with why it started running again, but the fact that you added it and the bike still did not start proves that the problem is NOT a vacuum in the tank from a plugged vent. You said you hear the fuel pump run, but you didn't say when or how long. When all is working right, you should only hear the pump click a few times when you first turn the key on, and that is only after it has been off for many hours. If the bike has recently been shut off and you hear the fuel pump, then that is proof that the carburetors are not full and there is no pressure in the fuel line to shut off the pump. However, the pump will not run forever, even if there is no fuel at all. I haven't really timed it, but it seems to run for about 10 or 15 seconds when the key is turned on and there is no fuel, then shuts off to keep from burning up. I will assume for the moment that you are hearing the fuel pump click more than 5 or 6 times when it will not start. If so, this can be caused by either a plugged fuel line or bad fuel pump. The easiest check has already been suggested - when it is not starting, just pull the fuel line of the tank and see if gas runs out of the petcock. If not, you have just found the problem. Make sure you do NOT touch the valve first, as you do not want to disturb anything before the test. Just be ready to quickly put your finger over the port or turn the valve off if the gas runs out quickly. If it just seems to dribble or come out in anything but a full stream, then your problem is a plugged input inside the tank or a defective petcock. Since our petcock is simply a mechanical valve, it is unlikely the valve is bad. If you DO have a full flow of gas coming out of the tank, then the next step is to bypass your fuel filter. Pull the left side and front battery covers and find the fuel pump. Remove the line going into it from the fuel filter and use a piece of tubing to run directly from the tank valve to the fuel pump. Turn the key on and see if it pumps for a couple of seconds to fill the carbs and then stops. If so, it should fire right up. The only time you should hear the fuel pump more than one or two seconds is after the bike has been shut off for weeks and fuel has evaporated from the carbs, or if it has been run out of gas. In those cases, it might take the fuel pump 4 or 5 seconds to fill up all four carbs and shut off. This will still be MUCH shorter than the full amount of time the pump will click if you turn the key on with no fuel hose connected to it (or no fuel in the fuel line at all, such as when you are actually out of gas). One caution here - I'd suggest you pick up a cheap clear fuel filter along with the piece of tubing you are going to use in this test. Put that new clear fuel filter in the tube between the tank and your fuel pump. Since your problem sounds like a plugged fuel line or fuel filter, I'd worry about possibly running some of the debris that might be clogging your intake screens or fuel filter into your carbs and messing them up. By using any type of fuel filter in that by-pass hose during this test, you absolutely prevent that from happening. And if you get a clear one, you will be able to see any sediment that might be in the gas, verifying the cause of the problem. If the carbs fill up and the bike runs in that last test, you probably have a plugged fuel filter. I only said probably because you have had it start before, showing that it is an intermittent problem, so it could still be an intermittent fuel pump that sometimes clicks but doesn't actually "pump." Frankly, I'd change the fuel filter now no matter what your tests show. And make sure you trace the fuel lines while you are in there to look for a kink somewhere - that is the only other thing it could be other than the petcock, filter or pump. Goose

I have used Frogg Toggs for years and always been happy with them. They do make several types (same material, just different features). Some have zippers in the pant legs, some don't. But even the ones without zippers have gone on over my size 13 cowboy boots without real problems. Many people have stated they breath - personally I do not think so. After extended use, I have had them develop leaks that I could never find - just wet spots in the clothes under them - sometimes significant. Now I think I know why I could never find the leaks. Recently I have discovered a problem with my newest set of pants. One of the seams on the outside of the lower pant leg has started coming apart - probably from the wind. When I was trying to repair it, I saw light coming through slits in the material. Upon closer examination, I could see that the plastic film sandwiched between the two fiber layers of material had begun to come apart in long slits. When I looked at the other leg, it shows the same separation in the internal film (hold it up to bright light and you can see light through the slits). This pair of pants had not been used that much, so I am quite concerned that they seem to have deteriorated. Frogg Toggs only stands behind them for one year. I may be looking for a different brand of rain gear.

Yes, it is a known issue. The TSB specifies an affected serial number range; it is not all 07s. Yours certainly sounds like exactly what others have reported. To my knowledge, there is no risk of catastrophic failure, but I certainly cannot guarantee that. Goose

Float level is not the same as synching the carbs. It is actually setting the fuel level inside the carburetors. Synching the carbs is changing the air flow through the carbs to all be the same. They do have some interaction, as air flow through a carb will suck more fuel with a higher fuel level in the carb bowl. To get it all right, the fuel levels have to be correct and equal, and all the carbs need to be flowing an equal amount of air. Goose

Was about 36 MPG avarage, now about 40 MPG. Goose

For Tom and jneed53, and whoever else in this area is interested, I'd love to get together with you and check out the float levels. I think I'd prefer to do it at my place, where I have all my tools (and there are two of us up here already), but I am not opposed to meeting you somewhere else either. I don't charge much for my help - just make sure you got beer! It takes a few hours to do, but as long as I am not the only one twisting wrenches, they can all be done at pretty much the same time. Let's set a date, time and place and get to it! Goose

I find the gauge and reserve to be VERY reliable. By reserve, I mean when the fuel trip meter comes on - I leave the petcock in the reserve position almost all the time. As you have found, when the reserve light/meter first come on, the bike only takes 4.5 gallons. This means our reserve is 1.5 gallons, NOT the 1 gallon stated in the manual. After venting the filler neck, I can easily fill the tank all the way, and I have run it down to near empty many times. Filling with 5.6 - 5.8 gallons is very common for me, and once when I had to really stretch it in the Ozarks on Mother's Day, I did 64 miles on reserve and put in 5.92 gallons! I almost always push the bike at least 25 miles after the light comes on, and I know for a fact I have over 40 miles available on reserve no matter what speed or conditions. The ONLY time I have run out early was when riding steady and straight on a very smooth highway - no sloshing going on at all. Our tank does not have a leveling hose, so if you were to just hold it level and drain it, you would find about half a gallon left in the other side. Under normal riding conditions, stopping, starting and turning cause the gas to slosh back against the lower part of the hump and spill over to the side with the fuel line, allowing you to use virtually all available gas. The one time I mentioned above, I was trying to push it further than I usually do because I was getting better mileage on the tank. It started to sputter at 52 miles into reserve, but all I had to do was weave hard back and forth to slosh the gas around and keep going. Another good trick in the same condition is to hit the brake hard, then pop the clutch to jump forward, causing the gas to rush back in the tank and spill over to the other side. 200 miles on a tank for the RSV is a relative number, depending on just how full you filled it and how good your gas mileage is. I find it is very doable under most conditions now that I have the floats set correctly. I usually only focus on how many miles I can go after the reserve meter comes on, and if I slow down to an indicated 60 or less, I can always get at least 60 miles on reserve (but I don't often try to push it past 40). On this last trip, the reserve meter generally came on between 148 and 160 miles into the tank. The bottom line is that I am very comfortable with the accuracy and consistency of my fuel gauge and fuel trip meter. It has been reliable on both of my RSVs and equally so on my brother's RSV when we ride together. Goose

Unless you are measuring it with a stand in the exact same place on your driveway each time, the differences might not be real. Most driveways slope one way or another. Using a stand, this will change the level in the window if the bike is pointed a different direction. I have also found that when I have someone hold the bike, it is usually different than when I use a 4x4 block that just barely lets it stand straight up. I find that people tend to have the bike lean a bit toward whatever side they are standing on! Goose

I have those installed on three flip front Nolan helmets. They work great. Goose

There have been at least three other threads on this subject in the past month or two, but since this is going to be kinda long and detailed, I thought I would start a new one just for my measurements and results. We all know that reported MPG figures for the 2nd gens have been all over the map, from high 20s to mid 50s (don't I wish!). Nobody is really sure what they SHOULD be or how to compare them. I am on the trail to figure that out. My mileage has always been in the mid 30s average (much more detail below) on both of my RSVs over 50,000 miles. I recently checked and properly set the float levels in the carbs on my 05, and this seemed to produce a dramatic increase in fuel economy (about 5 MPG?). But I still have more to do, and I would love to find someone within a couple of hundred miles of DFW that claims to have mileage in the high 40s or even 50+ MPG with whom I could connect and do some comparisons. In the mean time, I have done some very detailed measurements over a 4,000 mile ride, and here is the information that should make it easier to compare our numbers: Stock Speedometer - on the RSV, it indicates approximately 8% higher than actual speed as measured by GPS. This does not really affect fuel mileage calculations, but is important to know when someone states what MPG they get at a particular speed. For example, if they get 33 MPG at 80 MPH, do they mean a REAL 80 (which would be an indicated 87), or are they seeing an indicated 80 (which is actually only about 73 MPH)? In my experience, the difference between 73 MPH and 87 MPH can change fuel economy by close to 10 MPG! So knowing how to compare apples to apples is quite important for us. Stock Odometer - On the RSV, it indicates approximately 4% higher than actual. In my testing, this calculates out to about 2 MPG difference on a typical tank. BUT, if someone has corrected their speedometer with an external device like a Speedohealer or Yellowbox, then their odometer will now read about 4% LOWER than actual, which means that the miles per gallon they calculate for a typical tank will be approximately 3 MPG lower than that exact same fuel consumption on an identical bike with a stock odometer. For example, if I ride 200 miles and fill up with 5.5 gallons, I get 36.4 MPG. But if someone with a corrected speedometer rides the exact same distance (their odometer will show 184 miles) and fills up with the same 5.5 gallons, they will only calculate 33.4 MPG, quite a significant difference, even though we both got identical mileage! SPEEDS - The difference between an actual 55 MPH (indicated 60) and an actual 80 MPH (indicated 87) will make a huge difference in fuel consumption, and any winds will make this difference even much greater. In my experience, a typical RSV can get 42 MPG at 55, and 32 MPG at 80, without factoring in any wind effects. I believe that for comparison purposes, we must all be vary careful to state specifically if we are using stock indicated miles and speeds or a "corrected" miles and speed. Note that in the latter case, the speed would be a true speed, but the miles reported would be approximately 4% low. Now that I have said all that, let me report on the actual measurements I made on the 4,000 mile trip. I am not going to actually report details on EVERY tank of gas unless someone requests it, but I'll give you the summary. I used to get an average of 36 MPG on my 05 RSV, but only about 32 MPG when running around 76 MPH actual (indicated 82). After setting the float levels, this trip started out showing about 35 MPG when running that fast. Ethanol mixes would drop a mile or two from the calculation, as would any significant cross wind or head wind. For example, my first tank of gas out of Fort Worth took me 206 miles at an indicated speed of about 77 MPH (GPS showed 71 MPH) with a medium cross wind. My calculated mileage (using indicated speeds and distance) for this tank was 35.84 MPG. The next tank took me 154 miles (indicated) at approximately 80 MPH (indicated), but no winds. This tank produced 35.57 MPG. Later in the day I was running around 84 MPH indicated (around 78 actual) and my mileage dropped to around 33 MPG. When I was riding with the group on day rides at the rally, speeds were staying much lower, of course. The three tanks of gas under those conditions resulted in 45.8, 41.6 and 38.4 MPG. When I left Kitchener, I spent the first day on secondary roads. I was still pushing it pretty good, but the speeds were all over the place since there was a lot of stopping, curves, etc. The next three tanks produced average MPG calculations (using indicated mileage) of 41.4, 39.3 and 37.8 MPG. Friday we got back on the Super Slab, running between 80 and 90 indicated all day long. Average economy was about 32.3 MPG for all tanks. That night, when we got done with dinner and fired up the bike to head back to the hotel, I noticed a pronounced misfire on the left side - the only time I heard this. Other than the misfire at idle, the bike ran fine. The next day the bike seemed to be laboring a little when hard acceleration around 70 MPH, but nothing really significant. The first tank of gas returned typical numbers. Then I had a couple of tanks that looked bad. I was running pretty fast on a divided road that had lights in the towns - probably averaging 85 indicated when out of town, and I got 31.3 MPG. The next tank only got 29.6 MPG! But after that the numbers went back up to the mid 30s and stayed there all the way home. That just shows you how much the numbers can change with little apparent reason! I suspect I had a partially fouled plug for a while, maybe caused by poor gas, but I doubt I will ever know for sure. So there it is, my actual numbers over a 4,000 mile trip with a 2005 RSV running well. I was riding two-up and heavily loaded. It was even worse when I left Kitchener due to the oil and heavy coffee table book I won at the rally and had to add to the load (which also made me add another bag to the top of the rack, increasing wind drag). I still have a couple of things to try to boost the mileage, but frankly, the best thing I can do is slow down! My all-around average used to be around 36 MPG, but now I think it will reasonably be around 40 MPG (due to float levels and tuning). If I can ever find a way to get it higher, I'll sure let y'all know! Goose